Vikings Release Popular WR to Make Room for New QB
Dustin Baker
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The guy who caught two receiving touchdowns eight days ago versus the Las Vegas Raiders was released by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for quarterback Nick Mullens to start the week, giving the Las Vegas Raiders a 2024 conditional 7th-Round draft pick for the presumptive QB2.
Accordingly, a roster cut was on tap to make room for Mullens, and the casualty was WR Albert Wilson.
The Vikings also cut ties with DT Jullian Taylor, who was signed in April.
Wilson was buried on the Vikings first unofficial depth released about two weeks ago, placing the veteran wideout around WR10 territory. And the Vikings won’t keep anywhere close to 10 wide receivers when the final regular season roster is announced on August 30th.
But Wilson did grab two touchdowns against the aforementioned Raiders in preseason game #1, which would typically enhance a player’s stock. However, Minnesota already has younger players like Jalen Nailor, Myron Mitchell, and Trishton Jackson vying for “Wilson’s spot.” In a backhanded way, Wilson’s release is good news for Nailor, Mitchell, and Jackson.
Wilson spent his first four seasons in Kansas City inside the Alex Smith era and the last three campaigns with various quarterbacks in Miami. In 89 career games, Wilson has grabbed 218 receptions for 2,499 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s also returned kicks here and there. Some Vikings faithful initially believed the Wilson free-agent addition was a special-teams move. No cigar.
He was at his gridiron apex in 2017, the year before Patrick Mahomes formally took over, tallying 554 receiving yards on 62 targets.
In college at Georgia State, Wilson was marvelous. He caught passes, returned kicks and punts, and totaled 6,235 yards, a Top 30 mark when he left the collegiate level. The Chiefs found Wilson in 2014 as an undrafted free agent.
In the wake of Wilson’s release, the Vikings WR room looks approximately like this:
WR1: Justin Jefferson
WR2: Adam Thielen
WR3: K.J. Osborn
WR4: Ihmir Smith-Marsette
WR5: Olabisi Johnson
WR6: Myron Mitchell
WR7: Trishton Jackson
WR8: Jalen Nailor
WR9: Dan Chisena
WR10: Blake Proehl
Wilson’s contract was non-guaranteed when he joined the team in June.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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